For a fourth year, local firefighters are sending serviceable but expired gear to their under-equipped counterparts in Paraguay.

Through Project Paraguay, the Lacombe Firefighters Association donates equipment that no longer meets Canadian standards but can still be used in the South American country.

“Prior to the donations, they really are fighting fires with nothing. They use raincoats and rubber boots. One of the fire departments we donated to had a pressure washer they would just hook up to a regular garden hose,” said Drayton Bussiere, Lacombe County’s fire chief.

“We send boots and helmets and bunker gear and axes. We’ve got some medical equipment that we send. We send all different kinds of things. Really anything that’s used for firefighting here that we’re not using anymore … it’s still good gear, still has life left in it but the North American standards don’t allow us to continue using it.”

The firefighters will also be donating a used fire truck from the Bentley Fire Department, a significant upgrade from the modified minivans and motorcycles that Bussiere says are used in Paraguay.

He says the fire departments they’ve assisted are all in the same region, adding they’ve built a relationship with them over time.

“We didn’t want to do this unless the project was sustainable so we put a lot of effort into communicating with them all the time, troubleshooting things with the trucks so we can make sure any equipment we send them is usable for as long as possible.”